LINCOLNTON, N.C. — Atrium Health confirmed that bats were discovered in a medical inpatient unit at its Lincoln County hospital and medical office last week. The health system has sealed off the affected area and relocated patients to other parts of the facility.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is working with hospital and county officials to implement public health measures.
While officials have not confirmed if any of the bats captured at Atrium Health Lincoln are rabid, state health data shows that 3% of bats in North Carolina typically test positive for the virus.
Employees reported that more than 30 bats were captured in the medical inpatient unit. According to staff members, one of the bats chased a nurse in a hallway before the hospital closed the third-floor medical unit.
Hospital employees told Channel 9 that they were informed the bat issue was first discovered two years ago. Atrium Health stated that the bats were found in a “confined area” that has since been sealed off from the rest of the facility.
Jacob Rycroft, co-owner of Carolina Wildlife and Pest, said the length of time the bats may have been in the building could indicate the colony is growing too large for its current location.
“If this problem has been going on for multiple years, they may be running out of space inside that structure,” Rycroft said.
Rycroft noted that rabies is the primary concern when bats enter buildings because the animals are active at night when people are often asleep.
“Typically, when we see them enter structures like this, our first concern is rabies,” Rycroft said. He added that bat bites can be difficult to detect. “When you’re bitten, they don’t have very big teeth; they may only leave two little red marks, and most of the time, they don’t break the skin,” Rycroft said.
Health risks also extend to bat excrement, commonly known as guano, which can accumulate over time. Rycroft said the waste crumbles into fine dust when disturbed, which can then be inhaled.
“Once it’s airborne can be breathed in, and it causes a respiratory infection for those who are immunocompromised,” Rycroft said.
Because bats are a protected species in North Carolina, they cannot be handled like typical pests. They are considered essential to the local environment as pollinators and a natural form of pest control.
“They are absolutely essential to the environment; they are pollinators, one bat will kill a thousand mosquitoes a night,” Rycroft said.
The removal process involves a specific technique that ensures the animals are not harmed.
“Our typical procedure is to give them seven days to leave. What we would do is go up and install one-way doors,” Rycroft said.
He emphasized that “the most crucial part is making sure that every bat exited that structure safely.”
Rycroft recommends that anyone who may have had contact with the bats seek testing, as rabies has no cure once symptoms appear.
“It can take six months for rabies symptoms to appear. So people may not even know they have it until it’s too late,” Rycroft said.
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